I can help - Billy Swan

[Eppo Franken]

Wondering who's playing that incredible intro....
Sounds like Albert Lee..... am I right????

Does anybody know how it's played..... I think dubbing 2 guitars.
It's all "Big terts" as we call it in The Netherlands. I don't know if it is the same in English.... sorry...!!!!


regards,
Eppo

[Doug 54]

Reggie Young

Also played on Dobie Gray's "Drift Away," Danny O'Keefe's (sp??) "Goodtime Charley," Merle Hagard's version "That's The Way Love Goes," Dusty Springfield's "Son Of A Preacher Man" and many more great songs!!

[jack.plugg]

Reggie Young ...

[Doug 54]

yes just changed it--brain frat!!!

[TG]

I want to figure that intro out too.
I think I read somewhere that it IS one guitar.

[Eppo Franken]

I found this on Vintageguitar.com..
It shows a small part of an interview with Reggie...
By Guy Lee

Reggie Young is one of the most recorded guitarists in history. His tasty style has opened doors for him to play on stage and in the studio with every style of music possible; early rockabilly, rhythm and blues, country, rock, pop, and even jazz!

Young was born in Missouri, grew up in Arkansas, and moved to Memphis at age 13. His father played guitar around the house and Reggie received his first guitar – a National flat-top – for Christmas in 1950. He played his first gig at age 15 and made $13. • Growing up, Young was heavily influenced by the WSM radio show out of Nashville called “Two Guitars.” It featured Chet Atkins, Jerry Byrd, and Ray Edenton. Young would listen and try to figure out guitar licks.

He joined Eddie Bond and the Stompers in 1955. A local disc jockey named Sleepy Eyed John heard them play and asked them to record the song “Rockin’ Daddy” at WHHM studio. Mercury Records heard the song and signed Bond to a deal. The song charted and became a hit, so the band hit the road with the likes of Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Horton.


Billy Swan?
I played the intro on “I Can Help” (he picks up a guitar and demonstrates, playing augmented and diminished chords up and down the neck, showing how he was messing around and someone said that would make a great intro for a song).

Regards,
Eppo

[0le FUZZY]

More on Reggie



0le FUZZY

[Chris S.]

A little, anyway:

http://www.tdpri.com/viewtopic.php?t=21874

;-) CS

[Doug 54]

EPPO


check out his solo in Haggard's "That's The Way Love Goes"
Exquisite.

[Paul in Colorado]

When I first left my parent's home I had a bed in a closet of a soup kitchen next to a bar. The juke box was on the other side of the wall and that song got played a lot. That bass line is etched in my brain.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Paul in Colorado

When I first left my parent's home I had a bed in a closet of a soup kitchen next to a bar. The juke box was on the other side of the wall and that song got played a lot. That bass line is etched in my brain.

Paul, there just HAS to be a song in that...or an NBC sit-com.

[inertian]

Don't recall if I found this online or worked it out by ear, but it sounds right to me. The first part is basically a descending augmented chord arpeggio played two notes/strings at a time in an alternating triplet pattern. Say that three times fast...

The last part is the full G+ chord played as two triplets, plus one at the end.

Maybe Reggie will check in and confirm or deny.

[Scotch]

Originally Posted by inertian

Don't recall if I found this online or worked it out by ear, but it sounds right to me. The first part is basically a descending augmented chord arpeggio played two notes/strings at a time in an alternating triplet pattern. Say that three times fast...

thank you, thank you. I'll never muff thru that again.

Scotch

[Tim Armstrong]

I sang that song in my first band back in 1976 or so! I still remember playing it at a pool party! I just strummed (badly), but our other guitarist was really quite good and played it right.

Now I gotta learn it!

Cheers, Tim

[alvis]

I love the guitar on that song.I can still hear the cheesy organ comin outa the clock radio on the shelf behind the counter of the Chinese grocery in my hometown

Recently I rented some amps to his daughter,Planet

http://www.planetswan.com/

[Bill Hullett]

You guys are correct ....Reggie played the intro on that song....BUT....(here's the rest of the story)

Chip Young played the solo on the record....and I believe it was on a really nice blonde with whiteguard '56 Tele that he used to have!

Bill Hullett

[petebradt]

Originally Posted by TG

I want to figure that intro out too.
I think I read somewhere that it IS one guitar.

If that's ONE guitar, I am NOT worthy. I might be able to record it with TWO but ONE?

Not in this lifetime. Reggie rules!

[BB]

For a bit more recent Reggie, check out "Do Right Man" by Dan Penn. Dan is a killer songwriter and has written many all time classic songs. Reggie plays some wonderful guitar on this CD.

[txspreacher]

I looked for that intro for ages! Gotta learn it now. This song NEVER fails to put a smile on my face!!! The "cheesy organ" part just makes the verses, while the intro and solo sell it, IMO. We got the intro...who's gonna stab the solo? I've done it before, but I'll go ahead and tell ya, it was dead wrong!

[Eppo Franken]

Completely different than the way I thought it would be...

Thanks a lot for showing


Eppo

[rrangler]

Here's another bit of trivia on 'I can Help'

When "I can Help' was on the charts, Billy Swan was playing keyboards in Kris Kristofferson's road band.

I went to a Kris & Rita concert back then and when introducing the band, Kris said "Billy here is the only one in the band with a hit record out".... Billy then performed the tune with the band backing him.

Matt

[inertian]

Worked this out from repeated listenings to the original version by Billy Swan.

I've also got the solo figured out as close to "correct" as I can get it. Like the intro, when you see it written out it seems pretty simple - the difficulty lays in its execution...

BTW, the Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens did a great version of the tune that has (IMHO) a decidedly more rockabilly feel and cool modified solo.

[harold h]

That was a great song, it still holds up well today.

[fndtele24]

Instead of Am is it possible to use C6 instead?

[inertian]

As promised:


You can also cheat a bit and just play the first triplet of each measure, then slide into each following triplet and play just two double stops before sliding into the next triplet. Makes it easier to manage the feel at tempo.

The last part of the last measure (after the open double stop) should be played all as triplets.

Again, I think this is what is going on in the original recording, only one person here that can conclusively confirm or deny...

[fndtele24]

Now that I think about it Steve Kolander also did a decent version of this song as well

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by fndtele24

Instead of Am is it possible to use C6 instead?

Same notes, different roots:

Am = A C E
C6 = C E G A

But the bass on the record is clearly going back and forth between C and A (which gives you C and Am).

Also, in the chord chart above, on the "Do you good" line where it currently says D# - Bb - G, the <u>bass</u> is playing Bb - F - G, so I think I'd call those chords Eb/Bb - Bb/F - G ("E-flat over B-flat, B-flat over F" etc.).

But cool tune and great arrangement, huh? Classic. :-)

Btw, I'm going to move this whole thread over to the TAB/Music 101 forum for future reference. Thx, CS :-)

P.S. Thanks Inertian for posting all the TAB and chords! :-)

(Edited to correct the chord spelling... D'oh! I really DO know how to spell an A minor chord... no, really, I do...)

[fndtele24]

Correction...Reggie Young played lead guitar also on Steve Kolanders version of I Can Help. Except its in the key of B not C.

[tonytrout]

I hope this doesn't sidetrack the thread but Elvis Presley also recorded a fairly kewl verion of this song on March 11, 1975...

[nashville sound]

To here more of Chip he has a great cd recorded with some of Nashville's great players:
Chet Atkins, Reggie Young, Jerry Reed, Grady Martin and others. "Chip Young Having Thumb Fun with My Friends".

Nashville Sound
http://www.rayedenton.com

[getbent]

Wow! Ray Edenton visiting the TDPRI! That is big doins!

Welcome Ray, you are one of my heroes!

some great pics on your website too!

[nashville sound]

Originally Posted by getbent

Wow! Ray Edenton visiting the TDPRI! That is big doins!

Welcome Ray, you are one of my heroes!

some great pics on your website too!

I'm Ray's son but thanks for the shout. I just put up his website
hope you guys like it.

Nashville Sound
http://www.rayedenton.com

[getbent]

Your dad's playing changed a lot of our lives... I think I figured out high string guitar from one of your dad's recordings.... loved the pic of him with hartford and Johnny Rodriguez... I'll have to dig out some Johnny R today!

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by inertian

Don't recall if I found this online or worked it out by ear, but it sounds right to me. The first part is basically a descending augmented chord arpeggio played two notes/strings at a time in an alternating triplet pattern. Say that three times fast...

The last part is the full G+ chord played as two triplets, plus one at the end.

Maybe Reggie will check in and confirm or deny.

have moicy! i have to figure that beast out!!!!

[TN Twang]

I know Im years late on this thread but man am I glad I found it !!

[Ridge runner]

We play this song..man that little intro is booger..you finger's tend to want to spread as you slide down the fretboard..so yeah you gotta keep that augmented chord nice and tight.cool intro though real classic.

[TN Twang]

Any advise on the fingering of this intro? It's killing me !!

[warmingtone]

As mentioned, it is the augmented chord played in pairs of notes...the easiest way to play it is to make that shape and lift the fingers slightly when you pick the next pair. A classic use of the whole tone scale (notice it just falls two frets at a time) and theory geeks might make a study of the connection between the whole tone and augmented chord that makes this kind of thing work.

As is notated this 'shape' is suggested, but the same notes can be found in perhaps an easier form on a different string set further up the neck...

--|-11|----|----|---------
--|----|-12|----|---------
--|----|-12|----|---------
--|----|----|-13|---------
--|----|----|----|---------
--|----|----|----|---------

--|----|----|----|---------
--|-16|----|----|---------
--|-16|----|----|---------
--|----|-17|----|---------
--|----|----|-18|---------
--|----|----|----|---------

The augmented chord is a symmetrical triad made from a stack of M3rds (much like a diminished chord is a stack of m3rds) and so any note in it could be considered the "root". It's been notated with the first chord for instance as Ebaug...but this could also be considered to be the Gaug which is where it is heading too...

It's not really hard to play solos that are harmonized in thirds, even to improvise in this style...just got to practice playing harmonized scales and arpeggios like the greats obviously did!

[Ridge runner]

The way I fret it is index finger on the high e string 11 fret.ring finger on the b string 12 fret,middle finger on the G string 12 fret,and pinky on the D string 13 fret.like warmingtone said it's a cool little augmented chord/whole tone scale thing.But it goes fairly fast so start slow with it of course and build it up to speed,play it arpeggated as written and just slide that chord down ..I still have problems with my fingers wanting to spread apart..sometimes I nail it live..sometimes I fart on it..lol

[TN Twang]

thanks guys !!